


False Realities and Underhanded Dealings

by JirsSnufminArchive



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Cat Parent Joxaren | The Joxter, Discussions of Atheism, Gen, I'm not sure that it would but I'd rather be safe as usual!, I'm sorry if their chat upsets any of my readers who are religious, Light Angst, Literate Joxter | The Joxter, Snusmumriken | Snufkin Has Paws and a Tail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-07 03:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20302948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JirsSnufminArchive/pseuds/JirsSnufminArchive
Summary: While travelling together, the Joxter takes Snufkin to a mountain village holding a festival to honour the local harvest deity, unbeknownst to Snufkin, the Joxter has plans beyond enjoying the festivities as a tourist.





	1. Chapter 1

It was fall as Snufkin and his father walked through the mountains together. The leaves on the trees were well into their shift from green to all manner of warm hues. Snufkin would pause on the path to take in the view that stretched further out the higher they got. 

The Joxter was busy considering a map, but watched Snufkin out the corner of his eye, just in case he started getting left behind.

“We’re almost at a village, kiddo,” The Joxter told him as Snufkin peered into the distance, trying to look as far on the world as he could. 

Snufkin gave a sniff of discontentment. “Can’t we go around it, dad?” 

The Joxter shook his head. “There’s going to be a festival and I wanted to be there for it, sorry.” 

Snufkin pouted and left his view to join his father’s side again. 

“What kind of festival?” He asked, looking up at the Joxter. 

“One honouring a harvest deity, the mountain people had a great season this year.” He explained. 

“Oh. It’s gotta be hard growing things up here.” Snufkin said, idly kicking a rock. 

“Definitely, that’s why they put so much stock into deities, if a harvest goes bad, they can just assume somebody’s displeased a spirit and try to make offerings until things get better.”

Snufkin frowned. “But Gods and spirits and stuff aren’t real, are they, dad?” 

The Joxter smiled down at his son and shook his head. “No, boy’o they aren’t. That doesn’t stop them from being believed in though.” 

“But that’s so silly!” Snufkin exclaimed. “Nobody’s ever seen them because they’re not real, why would you believe something you can’t see?” 

“Hmm, well, I can’t speak from experience, never believed in things like that myself.” The Joxter grinned. “But I guess it helps people live their lives to believe in something like that.” 

Snufkin wasn’t satisfied with that answer but he didn’t ask again. 

“Want a better view?” The Joxter asked, noticing his son’s dour face. 

Snufkin blinked up at him but nodded. 

The Joxter smiled and took off his hat before he scooped up his son and settled him on his shoulders. 

“How’s that?” 

Snufkin buried his paws in his dad’s messy hair as he looked out onto the world from this new height and smiled. 

“Much better.”

When the pair finally made it close enough to see the village in the distance, the Joxter set Snufkin back down. 

“First thing's first kiddo, let’s set up a camp, that way if we get separated at all you can come right back here, okay?” The Joxter said, setting down his pack.

Snufkin nodded determinedly and unclipped their tent from the bag. 

Together, they set up their camp and put away everything they didn’t need to take with them. 

“Alrighty there, Snufkin, so when we get to the village we’re going to go look for the library, and we’re going to be sneaky.” The Joxter explained. 

“Sneaky?” Snufkin frowned. “Why? And why a library? You don’t even like books.” 

The Joxter lifted Snufkin’s hat and gave his hair a quick ruffle. 

“I want to see how good you’ve gotten at going unnoticed. It’s better to practice things like this in safe places than be unprepared when you really need to sneak.” 

Snufkin gave a small nod. “That doesn’t answer about the library though…” 

“I thought we could borrow some books and I’ll see if I can find you a new story, you’re always asking for one.” the Joxter smiled. 

Snufkin's face lit up. “Oh! Okay! Do you really think they’d have a new one here?” 

“I’m not sure. It’s probably not a very big library, but I’m sure they have some unique local tales.” The Joxter assured. 

Snufkin gave a bounce of excitement. “Let’s go then!”

“Remember kiddo, sneaky.” The Joxter pulled the brim of his hat to cover his bright blue eyes. 

Snufkin gave a small gasp. “Right, sneaky.” He pulled down his own hat to copy his father. 

The pair approached the little mountain village from the tree line and separated, but kept each other in view. There were thankfully enough people about doing festival preparations and shadowy little places that Snufkin managed to slip quickly from cover to cover as his dad had taught him. 

The little Mumrik tried to keep his eyes on his dad while remaining undetected, and soon he saw his father slip from the shadows and into a building. Snufkin carefully checked his path before sneaking his way inside too. 

As the Joxter had predicted, the library was small, with a sparse selection of maybe fifty books. Snufkin continued his sneaking until he spotted his dad scanning a small collection of materials and slipped to his side. 

The Joxter didn’t say anything but gave him a proud smile as he handed a book of local tales to his son. 

Snufkin grinned and hugged it to his chest. When he looked up again his father had already slipped away, the other books he’d been looking at gone. 

Snufkin took the cue and snuck his way out of the library with his own book and nobody having noticed. 

They reconvened at the tent as planned and Snufkin was surprised to see his dad had pulled out their sewing kit and was working on something that looked rather elaborate. 

“What are you doing, dad?” Snufkin asked, staring owlishly. 

The Joxter smiled up from his project. 

“I decided to make us some costumes for the festival, might as well have some fun while we’re here, right?” 

Snufkin sat next him to watch what he was doing. 

“Did I sneak well?” 

The Joxter gave a grin and nodded. “You did wonderfully.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like how this first chapter turned out and I hope that I can successfully pull off what I have planned with the rest of the story! 
> 
> If you like this story please comment and let me know what you think and consider reading my other works, thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

By the evening, the Joxter had finished their costumes. Snufkin wasn’t often fond of new things, but a gift from his dad was special, and the costume felt similar enough to his regular clothes. 

He couldn’t help but feel giddy by it and gave a twirl to watch how the skirt of the dress fluttered out. 

“Having fun?” The Joxter asked with a grin, considering the books they’d borrowed by flashlight and glancing towards the village occasionally. 

“Mmhm! Are we gunna go soon?” Snufkin asked, stopping his twirl once he’d rounded back to face the Joxter. 

“Do you want to go on ahead? I might be a little while longer here.” 

Snufkin frowned and glanced towards the village in the distance, very visible thanks to the festival lights. 

“I dunno, it might not be as fun without you.” 

The Joxter got up from his reading and walked over to kneel in front of Snufkin. 

“You’ll be fine, kiddo, here.” he took Snufkin’s paw and gave him a few coins. “Go buy a treat or something, find some village kids to hang out with, I’ll catch up with you.” He said, smiling at his son. 

Snufkin took the money and slipped it into his pocket and smiled back. 

“Okay, I love you, dad.”

The Joxter beamed and pulled Snufkin into a quick hug. “Love you too, kiddo, now go have fun, I’ll see you in a bit.” 

Snufkin nuzzled his dad’s cheek happily and then wiggled away to skip off to the village. 

The Joxter watched him go carefully before returning back to the book. 

Snufkin gazed in wonder as he made his way into the village for the festival. The village people had set up stalls selling the fall harvest bounty, as well as special treats and little games, just for tonight. 

It was quite busy and Snufkin wasn’t very happy about that, but he made his way easily through the crowds without being trampled on. 

Snufkin considered his options carefully before settling on getting a candy apple. It wasn’t very often that he got treats like this.

More often than not, he and his dad ate things they hunted in the woods or fished or collected, but Snufkin never minded. The candy apple would be special though, and his dad liked fruit and he wanted to share. 

He walked up to the vendor and found that the tip of his hat came just to the top of the table, so he stood on his tiptoes and called up as best he could. 

“One apple please!” He said as he managed to reach up and place his money on the stall. 

The stall manager looked down to see Snufkin and gave a small laugh and a smile. 

“Sure thing.” they took the money and quickly counted it before handing him the treat. “It should be extra delicious, the harvest deity blessed us with wonderful fruit this year.” 

Snufkin gave an awkward nod, still not sure about all this talk of deities and blessings, but he happily took the candy apple and gave it a try. 

The candy coating was remarkably sweet, something Snufkin really wasn’t used to with such a simple and natural diet. He gave a big grin and wandered away from the stall to find somewhere to sit and wait for his dad. 

At the center of town, where a loose circle of fruit trees dotted the area, Snufkin saw a bonfire being built. 

He made his way over and found a small group of four children watching the construction, some with treats of their own. He slid in beside them but wasn’t sure what, if anything, to say. 

The other children took notice and looked him over cautiously. 

“Hey, who are you?” a little girl asked. 

“Snufkin.” He replied easily before continuing to nibble on his candy apple. 

The children exchanged a glance. 

“You don’t live here, do you?” Another asked. 

Snufkin shook his head. “I travel with my dad, we’re just here for the festival.” 

The kids looked around at the adults nearby. 

“Where is he?” The little girl asked. 

Snufkin glanced around too. With his night eyes he was sure he could see better than anyone here, but still, he couldn’t spot his dad yet. 

“He’s coming.” 

The little girl frowned and one of the other children looked incredulously. 

“Your papa left you all by yourself??” They asked in bewilderment. 

Snufkin nodded. “I can take care of myself.” 

The children’s attention was suddenly pulled away from Snufkin as the adults turned off the festival lights, leaving the village dark from all but moonlight before they lit the bonfire. 

Snufkin watched it excitedly. He was used to the small campfires that supported him and his dad, but this was so much bigger and brighter! 

It wasn’t long after the fire had started, however, that it mysteriously snuffed out! 

The villagers gasped in confusion and a few of the adults scrambled to turn the festival lights back on and figure out what had happened. 

In their state and with the cover of night obscuring their vision, the villagers didn’t see what Snufkin saw until light was restored. 

His father had slipped down from one of the fruit trees and now stood before them all, grinning at the crowd. 

“Good evening everyone, thank you all for this wonderful celebration. It pleases me, and I’ll be sure to make next year’s harvest just as fine!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments! 
> 
> If you like this story please consider reading my other works!


	3. Chapter 3

Snufkin stared at his father, mouth agape and confused. The rest of the village offered reactions of disbelief or wonder, and Snufkin suddenly heard one of the children he was standing with call out. 

“It’s the harvest deity!” 

Snufkin eyes glanced from the village child to his father, who was already engaging the adults. 

He really wasn’t sure why his dad was pretending to be the harvest deity when he didn’t even believe one existed. 

He turned back to the group of children he was with who were chattering excitedly. 

“I can’t believe we’re actually seeing them!” One exclaimed. 

Snufkin cut his way back into the group. 

“How do you know that’s the deity?...” His paws prickled with guilt. He didn’t understand why his dad was playing pretend but he didn’t want to upset him. If he told them this was all a lie he might be doing something just as bad as not telling the truth…

“It looks like the deity from the storybooks," One of the children pointed out. 

Another nodded. “And how else would the fire have gone out? It was spooky, like magic!” 

Snufkin did wonder how his dad had pulled it off. He knew his dad was smart and resourceful, there must have been something to it. He glanced back towards him, just in time to see an apple from the tree above fall suddenly and be easily caught by the Joxter. 

He blinked in surprise and stared. Was his dad just playing pretend? But if he wasn’t, why would he lie about spirits and stuff being real?… 

Snufkin frowned, not understanding and not liking that. He wanted to push through the crowd to ask him about it but again thought better of it. 

His dad was talking to many people, spinning out a story in the way that Snufkin loved to hear. He remembered all the other times in their travels, how anyone they came across would be enraptured by his dad’s way of speaking. 

It was helpful when they needed something or when they needed to avoid something. Snufkin remembered with fondness how cool it was when his dad would outsmart police and other pursuers just by his wits and words alone. 

Whether his dad was playing pretend or not, Snufkin didn’t want to ruin whatever it was he was up to, he just hoped they could talk soon... 

When he broke from his thoughts he saw a bunch of the adults disperse from the group, giving him a better view of his dad standing in the middle. 

The Joxter was smiling contentedly as he watched them go before deftly rolling the apple he’d seemed to have summoned down from the tree and started to eat it. 

Snufkin thought back to his own candy apple and started eating a bit more of it. He noticed the group of kids he was with break from their excited chattering and start walking towards the center. 

“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Snufkin asked. 

“We’re going to see if we can go say hi to the deity.” the little girl whispered conspiratorily. 

Snufkin glanced around and walked toward them. “Can I come?”

The group exchanged glances before the girl shrugged and nodded. “Why not?”

Snufkin joined the little group as they slipped around the adults of the crowd and made their way to the front, just as the adults who’d left returned with a collection of pillows and cushions. 

The Joxter grinned as they set them down and arranged them into a comfortable pile, off to the side and near the trees. 

“That looks wonderful, thank you.” He collected the seeds from his finished apple and handed them to a nearby villager. 

“Plant these in the Spring and they will grow bountifully for sure.” The Joxter explained. 

The villager took the seeds and held them carefully, so as not to lose such a precious gift. 

The Joxter settled himself on the cushion pile and glanced to the snuffed out bonfire across the way. 

“How terribly rude of me for extinguishing that, please do relight it.” 

The villagers were quick to do as he asked, while others went to turn off the festival lights once more. 

Snufkin saw his companions make their way before the Joxter’s cushion pile before any of the adults could react, and Snufkin nimbly made his way over to join them. 

“Can you do real magic?” One of them asked. 

“Where did you come from?” Another questioned. 

“Why do our plants go bad when just one person does a bad thing?” The little girl asked. 

The Joxter smiled placidly at the excitable questioning before the villagers tried to shoo the children off, warning them against being disrespectful. 

Snufkin also found himself being shooed away as well but caught his father’s bright blue eyes before he was. His dad gave him a small smile and a slow blink. 

Snufkin wasn’t certain what it meant, but he guessed his dad was telling him to play along, that he trusted him to help with his game. 

The group of children were frustrated as they were split up and told to go back to their respective guardians, leaving only Snufkin, who wasn’t sure where to go. 

“Have you lost your parents?” the villager who had wrangled the children asked. 

Snufkin knew if he said yes, that this adult would probably insist on helping him find his dad, and that definitely wasn’t possible right now. 

“No. I know, thank you.” He gave a polite tip of his hat and disappeared back among the crowd, going around the bonfire through the crowd until he came out the other side and could spot his dad again. 

The Joxter was being offered food from the stalls, which he happily accepted, lounging comfortably across the cushion pile as he did. 

When he was pleasantly full, the Joxter bid the people to leave him with the remaining food so he could enjoy the festivities in peace. He declined the offer to have anyone stay to make sure he was cared for in case he needed anything. 

When the coast was indeed clear and the villagers were all back to the bonfire, buzzing with excitement at the festival and the arrival of their deity, Snufkin slipped his way from the crowd and to his father’s side. 

“Well hello there, little one, come to ask me some questions too?” The Joxter teased, not looking right at his son. 

Snufkin pouted. “Dad, what are you doing?” He hissed quietly. 

“Hmm, not sure who you’re referring to dear, I’m not quite sure if deities have children, I think you’re confusing me with somebody else.” The Joxter couldn’t help but grin as his son folded his arms. 

“I brought you a candy apple but it seems like you have lots of food…” Snufkin said. 

The Joxter nodded. “Oh indeed, go ahead and take some if you want.” He inclined towards the selection left to him by the villagers. 

Snufkin gave a small huff but did find his eyes looking over the food. There were breads of various kinds, corn, slices of pie and cake, grapes, and some sort of delicious smelling stew. 

Snufkin looked around uncertainly, frightened that he might get caught over here and in trouble, but seeing nobody notice him. He set down his candy apple on one of the plates and took the stew before starting to eat it. 

It was fantastic thanks to the well-grown crops and Snufkin found he had finished it very quickly. 

He couldn’t help but give a small purr of contentment before he refocused on his earlier thoughts and feelings. 

“Really dad, what’s going on, I don’t get it…” He prompted again. 

Before the Joxter could respond, however, one of the villagers had started making their way over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to tentatively say this story will be 5 chapters, I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Please comment and tell me what you think! 
> 
> If you like this story please consider reading my other work!


	4. Chapter 4

The villager looked worried as they approached, their eyes fixed on the pair. “Ah! Not again, I’m terribly sorry for the children’s rudeness.” the villager apologized before noticing the empty bowl of stew in Snufkin’s paws. 

“Oh dear, and they’ve eaten your food too!” the villager clasped their hands, hoping for forgiveness. “This child’s just a visitor here, please don’t consider their actions reflective of the village!” They begged.

The Joxter smiled easily and gave a lazy wave. “Be calm, I allowed this child to share with me.” He explained. 

The villager looked surprised and took in the sight of the pair.

“This child looks rather like you…” they said carefully.

The Joxter gave a slow look at Snufkin and back.

“I suppose he does, I have taken the form of a Mumrik, so it’s understandable that I’d be similar in appearance to other Mumriks.”

The villager looked ashamed and worried. “Oh- of course, yes, forgive me!”

The Joxter nodded. “I shall, now please leave me be.”

“Ah! Yes, as you wish.” The villager turned to Snufkin. “Come along, leave the Deity be,” they said, reaching to take Snufkin’s paw and lead him away. 

The Joxter stopped their hand and his tail gave a flick.

“Oh, it’s fine. No harm is being done by this child.”

The villager looked even more ashamed. “Y-yes, right, I’m sorry…Thank you, I’ll leave,” they stammered, giving a respectful bow before leaving.

Snufkin scanned for watchful eyes and found many, focusing on him and his father much more than he’d like.

“So, small one, you seem to be lost, are you?” The Joxter asked with a lazy smile, keeping up the act.

“No, I’m not lost, thank you. My papa’s just being very silly.” Snufkin said frankly.

The Joxter gave a grin and leaned on one paw, whispering now. “Hey kiddo, listen, I can’t help if these superstitious types are so easy to fool.”

Snufkin couldn’t help but bristle at his father’s words, eyes widening in shock. “But pa-“ He started but quickly found his father’s fluffy tail covering his mouth.

The Joxter said nothing and moved his tail away after a moment, not meeting his son’s hurt brown eyes.

“Run along now, I’m sure the festival will be much more fun spent not just talking to an old spirit.” The Joxter said simply. He picked up Snufkin’s candy apple from where he had left it, took a bite of the candy-coated treat and then handed it back.

“And thank you for sharing.”

Snufkin took the candy apple and wandered back towards the crowd, a small pit in his stomach.

But he didn’t go enjoy the festival. He watched his father intently. He knew that the game could only go on for so long before somebody realized it was a lie, right? Although Snufkin still couldn’t understand the sneaky things his dad had done already, he was sure there was a rational explanation.

He continued working his way through the candy apple until it was done and he was left with only the core and the seeds. He supposed the villagers would know the trick when they planted the apple seeds and nothing happened, but he also knew his dad would never stick around that long, even for a prank.

Despite the sugar from the treat, Snufkin found himself growing very tired. He stared at his dad and then back out into the forest. Should he go back to the tent? Would his dad expect him to?... 

He wondered if his dad would come back to the tent or if he’d stay in the village for the night. The idea filled Snufkin with dread.

He’d never gone to sleep without somebody around, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to, but a heaviness of his eyelids and sluggishness of his limbs threatened to pull him down right there in the middle of the festival.

If he did, he wasn’t sure what the villagers would do…

Would they find him a bed to stay in for the night and somebody to look after him until his parents were found? Or would they leave him where he dropped, with no care for a troublesome Mumrik kit?

Even in the best-case scenario, Snufkin wasn’t sure he was comfortable with other adults making decisions for him. If he had a nightmare, he would want to curl close to his dad’s side as the older Mumrik nuzzled him and gave gentle reassurances. He couldn’t do that if some other adult tried to comfort him…

He felt tears start to well up in his eyes and he stared at his father, who was enjoying more of the offered food. 

He wondered what would happen if he ran up to him, crying and demanding they leave. Would he drop the act?...

If he did though, the game would be over for sure and the villagers would likely be very mad...

Snufkin wiped at his eyes and willed himself not to mewl or sob, no attention to his state would be good right now. 

Snufkin decided he was better off alone in their familiar tent. He gathered up the strength he could through the tired haze, and wandered from the village, stumbling back to their tent to fall into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter is definitely the last. 
> 
> Please comment and let me know what you think! 
> 
> If you like this story please consider reading my other works!


	5. Chapter 5

Snufkin blinked his eyes open sometime later as he felt himself jostled about. He lazily picked his head up before dropping back down into the comforting scent of his father.

Snufkin shot up and realized he wasn’t in the tent anymore, he was in his familiar spot on his father’s shoulders, just under his hat so he could rest against the back of his head.

He felt his dad shift quickly to account for Snufkin’s suddenly upright position, preventing Snufkin from falling or the Joxter from stumbling.

Snufkin lifted the hat to find they were running through the forest and only now did he take in the distant sounds of being chased by a mob.

“Dad?...” He asked, voice quiet and uneven from the cloying sleepiness.

“No time to chat, kit, we’re on the lamb.” The Joxter said quickly.

Snufkin frowned but understood, he decided to make things easier by laying like just another backpack, burying his face back into his dad’s hair and allowing sleep to claim him once more.

The next time Snufkin woke up, his dad had deliberately gotten him up, shaking his shoulder gently.

“Kit? We’re safe now.”

Snufkin blinked his eyes open and found them tucked in a cave and himself moved to rest in his father’s lap rather than against his head.

Snufkin looked up at his father’s bright blue eyes, even brighter in the darkness.

“What happened?...”

The Joxter gave a small laugh. “Apparently I didn’t do my research quite well enough. While leisure and lounging is fine, it turns out the harvest deity is vehemently opposed to naps.”

Snufkin considered this a moment before getting up and turning away from his dad, folding his arms.

“That was a really rotten thing you did, Papa, it’s not nice to trick people like that.” He said firmly.

The Joxter frowned but gave a small nod. “You’re right, I’m sorry…”

“And you left me all alone!” Snufkin said, turning sharply to him, working himself up into a fit.

The Joxter’s frown deepened. “It would have been suspicious if I was focusing just on you, kit…”

“That shouldn’t have mattered!” Snufkin stamped his foot. “I missed you and I cried! And you were just focused on keeping up your silly game, Papa!”

The Joxter couldn’t meet his face, staring down at the cave floor instead. 

“You’re right, kit, a game shouldn’t have been more important than you…” He forced himself to stare into Snufkin’s fiery brown eyes. 

“I should’ve been a better papa, can you forgive me?...”

Snufkin wanted to keep being mad, wanted to keep telling his dad all the reasons he’d been rude and awful, but he couldn’t.

He calmed his posture and walked back over to where the Joxter was and sat beside him before leaning against his arm to look up at him.

“Okay…but no more tricks like that.”

The Joxter gently wrapped an arm around Snufkin’s shoulder and held him close.

“Not exactly like that for sure,” He teased.

Snufkin gave an exaggerated pout. “Papa!”

The Joxter laughed and gently nuzzled his son. “I’ll make sure you’re in on it next time at least.”

Snufkin gave a huff. “I don’t think I could ever pull off such trickery!”

The Joxter hummed. “Give it time.”

“I’m still not even sure how you did all that.” Snufkin pouted.

“Fast paws and night eyes go a long way to fooling people, kit.” The Joxter said and gently booped Snufkin’s nose.

“Set up helps too, I pulled off the apple by weakening the stem enough that it would drop after a bit.” He explained.

Snufkin gave a small nod. “What if you had missed or timed it wrong?”

The Joxter grinned. “Reflexes and recovery can save a failed performance.”

Snufkin snuggled into the arm of his dad’s costume.

“You almost fooled me too.” He admitted.

The Joxter gave a grin and gently pet Snufkin’s hair. “Oh, did I?”

Snufkin purred and gave a hum. “Uh-huh... But I knew you weren’t really magic.”

The Joxter gave a small laugh. “Oh, even if Gods and spirits aren’t real, magic definitely is kiddo.”

Snufkin looked up at him. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The older Mumrik laughed harder and pressed a kiss to the top of Snufkin’s head.

“Of course, kit.”

“What about the village people?...” Snufkin asked quietly. 

“Eh, we ate their food and made them look a bit silly, maybe shook up some of their faith, but really no harm done. We definitely can’t go back there though.” He laughed. 

Snufkin gave a yawn and the Joxter scooped him up, quickly gathering their sleeping roll and blanket into a nest and curling around him.

“Sleep well, dear Snufkin. In the morning, we’ll find something fun to do, and I’ll make sure we avoid any more villages, just for you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theee End! 
> 
> I imagine that skipping over the reveal was a bit unexpected, but it seemed like the right call to do so, I hope you enjoyed it regardless! 
> 
> Thank you as always for reading, the kudos, comments, and support overall! 
> 
> Oh, and if you haven't please take a moment to consider the acronym of this story's title. >:3 
> 
> As usual, I'll be starting a new story tomorrow and this one will either be another short one or about as long as Minded by a Mumrik, we'll see! 
> 
> If you like this story please comment and consider reading my other works, thank you!


End file.
